Do you ever wonder if the cream in the little white tube or jar is actually working? How can you be sure there is the same amount of medication at the top of the tube as there is at the bottom?
These are good questions. 
Transdermal prescriptions (applied and absorbed through the skin) consist of creams, gels and ointments utilized to deliver an appropriate level of medication into the body.
Some common examples include pain creams, prescription skincare creams and bioidentical hormone replacement creams.
An important way to measure a prescription’s quality is through efficacy. The compounding process can vary significantly depending on which compounding pharmacy you use.
An essential piece of compounding equipment used to ensure high quality compounded creams is the ointment mill.
A stringent “milling process” is one way to ensure efficacy. An ointment mill which reduces particle sizes and provides a smooth final product ensures each dose has the same amount of medication.
Even if a cream is compounded with the highest quality ingredients and expertise, if the medication is not dispersed evenly throughout the cream efficacy can be diminished. By example, if a cream is not properly milled, a patient could receive a tube of compounded cream that has a higher level of prescription medication at one end of the tube vs. the other.
When made properly, compounded prescription creams are a great way to deliver medication into the blood stream. They allow for a slow release of medication into the body and provide a very effective absorption method leading to maximum efficacy.
Take-Aways:
· Ask if your compounding pharmacy mills its creams and go on a tour of the lab.
· La Vita is proud to adhere to the highest safety and quality standards in the compounding industry as evidenced by its PCAB Accreditation®.
· Less than 1% of ALL pharmacies hold this prestigious accreditation.
· Patients can confirm their compounding pharmacy is PCAB Accredited® by visiting www.pcab.org.